Discovery Island

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[Disney Vacation Planner] [Discovery Island Map]

NOTE: Disney have finally closed Discovery Island to all but specially invited guests of it's sponsor Friskies. The closing party/wake was held on 8th April on the Island, and was a very low-key affair which was not widely advertised. All Discovery Island sineage on the water transportation was removed during the following evening. The closure date was exactly 25 years after it first opened in 1974.

Discovery Island was a small (11 acre) and very tranquil zoological park located on an island across from Wilderness Lodge and River Country. It could only be reached by boat from the landing stages at The Magic Kingdom, River Country, or the Wilderness Lodge resort.

It was well worth spending a morning there, if you'd seen everything at the major parks, or if you wanted to get away from everything for a few hours.

Discovery Island featured over 140 species of animals, several of which are threatened with extinction, and 250 species of tropical plants including 5 species of bamboo, all arranged around a series of walkways around the island.

This small island was designated as a zoological park by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, and actively exchanged animals with other zoos for breeding programmes and similar projects. Following its closure many of it's animals will be transferred to locations within the Animal Kingdom. Others not transferred to the Animal Kingdom will most likely be moved to other Zoos around the United States in order to continue established breeding programmes.

Birds were abundant on Discovery Island, particularly the Scarlet Ibis, although there weare plenty of other varieties to spot as well, including a number of Amazon Parrots some of which weare caged, but the majority free on perches.

The Island also featured some very unusual White Peacocks, along with other species including American Flamingo, Toucan, Kookaburra, Trumpeter Swan, Cranes, Southern Bald Eagle, Hornbill, and the Brown Pelican.

The Island hosted a number of reptiles, apart from the ever present small lizards, including Alligators and various Turtles (Galapagos and Snapping). Living alongside the birds and reptiles were several other species including deer, rodents and a few primates.

The main places to see Birds weare "Trumpeter Springs", "Parrots Perch", "Crane's Roost", "Avian Way", "Pelican Bay", and "Flamingo Lagoon", with most of these areas including more than just their namesake species...

Attractions:

Reptile Relations

Reptile Relations wss a short presentation featuring various reptiles and cold blooded animals. The presentation ran daily at 11:30, 12:30 14:30 and 15:30.

Feathered Friends

Feathered Friends was the other presentation on Discovery Island, this time focusing on various birds, especially Parrots, but also with various birds of prey. As with Reptile Relations, Feathered Friends ran daily at 11:30, 12:30 14:30 and 15:30.

Admission:

Admission to Discovery Island was included with the All in One hopper passes, the Length of Stay pass, the Unlimited Magic Passport, and the Premium Annual Pass. Other than that, one day tickets weare available on Discovery Island itself for $12.67 (Adults).

Alternatively, a combined Discovery Island / River Country pass couldn be bought for $19.95 (again access to River Country is included in the above pases).

Food / Drink:

A very limited menu wais available at "The Thirsty Perch" which was typically very busy due to the lack of alternatives. Generally guests were well advised to plan on eating on the mainland...

Merchandise

Again the Thirsty Perch was the place to go for Discovery Island specific merchandise. The range was pretty limited, with a few items of clothing, and small toys being prevalent, though Films ware available if you run out whilst on the Island.

Guest Services

Again centered around the Thirsty Perch, Guest Services offered rental lockers, and binoculars (deposit required). Any Lost/Found enquiries were also handled at the Thirsty Perch.